Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles (Dutch: Nederlandse Antillen [ˈneːdərˌlɑntsə ɑnˈtɪlə(n)] ( listen), Papiamentu: Antia Hulandes) was an autonomous country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean. It was also informally known as the Dutch Antilles. The country was dissolved in 2010. The term is also synonymous with Dutch Caribbean which includes all of those Caribbean islands regardless of their legal status in Dutch law, and to the inhabitants of those islands. Historically the Netherlands Antilles included the colony of Curaçao and its dependencies. The former Dutch colony of Surinam, although it was relatively close by, was not considered to be part of Netherlands Antilles as it was on the continent of South America. All of the constituent islands of Netherlands Antilles remain part of the Kingdom although the legal status of each differs.